SONARPHONE WiFi Technology Changes the Game

[CaptainMusky]

I just don't get it.

Looks like 2d sonar. How does it rival "ANY HIGH END" sonar on the market today? No DI, no SI, likely a fixed beam (yep, 30 degree), 400watt peak to peak is a step backwards from any "High end sonar"....

I guess i'll stay off the bandwagon for a few years.

Oh BTW, not a mention of using it on the ice in the video, so likely the battery won't even come close to 4hr run time in negative weather....But hey - another use for a smartphone

Don't throw away your high end sonar's yet boys.

Im with you 100% Truth. If I had to look at those fish icons, I might as well be sitting with one of those "fishing buddy" in my hand.

The idea is cool, but its far from leaping forward because it lags behind what so many sonars currently offer. I am far more intrigued by the GoFree WiFi from Lowrance vs this. That's full capabilities with your HDS Gen2 or Touch.

[TruthWalleyes]

Personally, I'm liking the bobber sonar. I fish out of a canoe, or off the shore, and the concept seems like a nice one.

Are there any products out there right now that offer the same type of interface (remote viewer with a throwable/castable sonar)?

Dribble a little water on your canoe floor, put transducer in said water, turn on your flasher, and you've got a better sonar than this one.

[DTro]

i think you guys are nuts if you don't find this technology groundbreaking in the fishing world. Look at the price fellas and compare that to an HDS-10

"Rival top end sonar"? I don't think so...

[TruthWalleyes]

DTRO, it has it's applications as currently designed...Just not in my arsenal of fishing equipment.

GROUNDBREAKING for: Shore Fisherman who don't want to fish more than 4 hours, or someone who has a smartphone and no depthfinder in their boat and currently uses a depth bomb. If you see a PRO using this device as their only sonar (and not have a lowrance or humminbird hidden below their consol) i'll fall over....and it's a long way to the ground for me not to mention my rotator cuff is torn so it'll hurt

Give it some time and the concept will catch up with technology...As for the cost - smartphones are ~$600 without a contract plan. Add this transducer wifi dingy and you're at the cost of a 598si... I have a razr maxx too, and there is no way that it can run screen on bright, wifi constantly running, and get you through 12 hours. However used sparingly while being battery conscious and i can make it last 3 days. You've got the same phone as me, look at your battery consumption graphs and i'll guarantee you that your screen consumes the vast majority of your battery usage. Oh, and these screens get hotter than snot on a rock under the sun when using it for over a 30minute period - gotta be good for it. If this pushes phone developers to the next level i would be happy though....not that they need a push.

[DTro]

In regards to battery and the MAXX wifi greatly REDUCES battery usage. I can have the screen on for at least 8 hours straight over WIFI and auto brightness.

 

I think even factoring in the cost of a phone or tablet is nonsense because we all have them already.  Everyone is forgetting the camera application.  Think about how cool this will be on the ice.  A WIRELESS camera that you can share the feed to anyone with the free app.   I bet you will be able to hook the dang camera right up to an extra pole.  No more winding cable.  Heck you can probably rig it up to to your main line as well.

 

I think you guys are having a hard time seeing the forest through the trees.  This is simply the beginning…

[CaptainMusky]

 

I think you guys are having a hard time seeing the forest through the trees.  This is simply the beginning…

I see White Pine, Red Maple, Black Spruce and Cedar. What do you see?

Yes, its the beginning. I get that. But to tout this as having "features of top end sonars" is a HUGE stretch. I dont blame them for saying it, but it lacks what the low end sonars offer today.

But hey, its got people talking right? Lots of hype over it, but its definitely getting some press.

Im not sold on this YET, but in time I am sure it could be a viable option. I am going to install both apps on my phone regardless, just so hopefully someone around me has these things in use and I can see what they are getting. :-)

[DTro]

 

But hey, its got people talking right? Lots of hype over it, granted over half the people who commented are "ice team",

I see 2 ice team members who have posted in this thread so far LOL.

and I totally agree with it not competing with the top of the line stuff such as SI and DI. I don't think it will live up to those claims at all.

However, the image sure looks better than a lot of sonars I see on various random fishing boats.

[DTro]

Ok I just reread a little bit about the camera. Still has 50ft of cable and utilizes the Scout platform, so not as impressive as I first thought and something I wouldn't probably be interested in.

[Esox_Magnum]

Most phones you cant see the screen in the sun or with polorized glasses on, and a 30 degree ducer for ice fishing??? Not sure my phone will even play in realtime since it's a lower end one it will not stream my go pro in real time there is a bit of a lag maybe 1 second....

[hugonian1]

I agree, this is some great breakthrough technology.

This world evolves quickly so it will be interesting to see where this goes.

I would have to believe new tech like this will help control the price points of the other sonar units. It should benefit us from that perspective.

[aanderud]

I would have to believe new tech like this will help control the price points of the other sonar units. It should benefit us from that perspective.

Bingo! This is where I think it'll help everyone. I mean, Lowrance charges like $300 to go from a 5 inch screen to 7, then another $400 to go to 8.4 inches, then another 800 to go to 10 inches, and another grand to get to 12 inches. Mind you, this is for the HDS Gen2 models with essentially all the same specs other than screen size. Maybe they'll stop charging 2 grand for 7 inches more screen when there are other cheaper options for large screens out there (you could buy a half dozen ipads for the same price differential, one for each seat in the boat).

[TruthWalleyes]

You are comparing Brussels sprouts to beef tenderloins.

what those companies offer far exceeds a sonar phone.

The competition is only with 400 watt 2d sonar. if you just want a 2d sonar there are plenty of cheap options out there already.

Vex is a great company with fantastic customer service, they do have that going for them.

[fisherman-andy]

I for one dont think this is ground breaking, however a step in the right direction for mobile platforms. However its no where near matches the degree of a quality sonar or flasher be it.

So instead of an standard LCD screen, (Humminbird has had something similiar for years with their Smart Cast series products) It just that theirs not in color nor on a phone or tablet.

With Sonarphone you get software which looks like Lowrance and a pod/ducer accessory that works with a phone or tablet instead.

I do like they they are using wifi instead of bluetooth or some sort of RF to drive the technology behind the setup.

At this point it still just too gimmicky for me to have any real use, I think shore fishing & maybe canoe's and kayakers will get kick out of it more for use.

On top of that your gonna be at the mercy of poor battery life, with the phone or tablet on constantly I see maybe 4 hours of use at best.

Aside from this the software and hardware is gonna need tweaking and field testing to adhere to one's standards, but something this simple shouldnt be too difficult to understand or use.

I cant for see such a device currently taking over as a Sonar companies primary cash product line, offering free software and selling only an accessory is not gonna be enough for them to survive. Not only that their product is gonna be at the mercy of someone's else's product advancements, aka Apple & Google etc. So your always gonna have your high end electronic sonar devices do what the primitive devices cant. Until otherwise...

[CaptainMusky]

Maybe they'll stop charging 2 grand for 7 inches more screen when there are other cheaper options for large screens out there (you could buy a half dozen ipads for the same price differential, one for each seat in the boat).

First of all an IPad doesnt have a 12 inch screen. You are not going to be able to buy a half dozen IPads for $2000 that are waterproof either. Plus there's no charting capability aside from Navionics, while the app is decent isnt even on the same playing field of the charting of a HDS or Bird with many different mapping chip options.

I like that its Wifi, but personally, the way Lowrance is going about tapping into the phone/tablet technology is certainly more useful than this. With their Wifi product you can at least get full use out of your HDS unit. This shows you cartoonish fish icons and only 2D sonar.

It will be a while before this SonarPhone is completely useful to me.

[CoreyS]

I've had the opportunity to try and test the SonarPhone a little last year and quite a bit this summer. The performance is quite satifactory when comparing to my Vexilar Edge. Even Mr. Baumann was impressed with the performance when comparing to the Edge. Granted it doesn't have the DI or SI, but for 2D graphing, it worked flawlessly. The screen I used was an iPad mini. Also, I'm not a "FISH ID" fan either. It displays beautiful "arcs" just like my graph. On another note, whose to say there won't be apps in the future that offers SI or DI? With today's technology anything is possible!

I have been informed that the apps will available in September from the app store.

Note: There are ways in getting your display sreen brighter for viewing in day light conditions. I was on Bush lake casting the T-pod testing it with my Android (old Bionic) and was able to see the screen plain as day once I adjusted the brightness level to MAX from my settings... No different than the LCD's that are out there.

[BartmanMN]

I know they don't want to impact sales of the FL products where they make a killing, but I see this product selling much more with an ice ducer option. Between the ice ducer and the camera for the Fish phone, you could be set.

[CoreyS]

At this time, it's more of an open water system because of the transducer (wider cone angle). Most open water transducers use Lead Zirconate crystals, which is fine for the summer market and tend to be less expensive. We use Barium Titanate with our Ice-Ducers (work much better in the extreme cold conditions) and last longer. We're not shutting the doors for the opportunies for ice. However, for now the SonarPhone is meant for open water applications.

[Comit 2]

Have you ever sat on the other side of the boat and wonder what is going on below? Well l have.

It sounds like a water proof, anti glare sun shade from a third party is in order. With kick stand.

All aboard!

[magicstix]

I think it's pretty cool advancement, just the beginning to more in the future. I probably won't be buying one myself at this point but know others that will jump all over this unit.

[aanderud]

First of all an IPad doesnt have a 12 inch screen. You are not going to be able to buy a half dozen IPads for $2000 that are waterproof either.

You missed my point. There was some hyperbole to make it more clear and you sort of stepped over the point and into some kind of technicality-searching trap of some kind. I know there's no waterproof feature in the ipad (though they do make a life case for them, to get close).

My point was, do you think an additional 7 inches costs them anything close to 2-3 grand? Heck no, probably more like $100 or so? That's about what I think it costs. If you don't think that's a joke, then I don't know what is. I don't like buying products that have a 2500% markup. I prefer competition (brands, technologies, etc) to bring those margins down. I think this is a technology that has the potential to bring those margins down.

You can buy a 70 inch LCD TV for less than the differential between an HDS-5 and an HDS-12.... just seems like they were riding the cash cow while it was putting out milk, and those days will come to an end as more competing technologies come around.

I'm not saying THIS PARTICULAR incantation of the sonarphone will immediately make lowrance drop that screen-size-price-differential.... but it's a start.

[CaptainMusky]

My point was, do you think an additional 7 inches costs them anything close to 2-3 grand? Heck no, probably more like $100 or so? That's about what I think it costs. If you don't think that's a joke, then I don't know what is. I don't like buying products that have a 2500% markup. I prefer competition (brands, technologies, etc) to bring those margins down. I think this is a technology that has the potential to bring those margins down.

You can buy a 70 inch LCD TV for less than the differential between an HDS-5 and an HDS-12.... just seems like they were riding the cash cow while it was putting out milk, and those days will come to an end as more competing technologies come around.

I'm not saying THIS PARTICULAR incantation of the sonarphone will immediately make lowrance drop that screen-size-price-differential.... but it's a start.

I didnt miss your point at all, it was a flawed point at best. If you think you are only getting 7 more inches of screen for that $2000 time to brush up on the specs of the HDS units you referenced because there are more features on the larger units than just adding screen size.

For one you cannot compare an HDS 5 to an HDS 12 Touch solely by screen size. Obviously the 5 isnt a touch screen, but forget about that and look at the other differences. The Touch models have StructureScan built in, thats $500 right there. The 9 and above have more memory card slots and more input connections for video, etc, etc.

So, no, you are not just getting more real estate for the extra cash.

[NKLCOLT1911]

all those added features still dont add up to the insane mark up brian is refering to the tech in those things does not cost that much to make, but instead they will kepp charging that much cause they can.

[TruthWalleyes]

And we will pay for it because it is worth it.

[DTro]

Well yeah fishing electronics in general is way crazy overpriced compared to other consumer electronics.  Some of it is due to the added waterproofing, and durability, but sometimes the same technology is just insanely overpriced when inserted into the fishing market. 

 

I just can never get past the fact that some people are willing to drop 2G’s to find a rockpile or analyze the finer details of a sunken tree.  Really? But then again 60k fishing boats are nothing to the same folks so good for them I guess. 

 

I don’t think these specific items that Vexilar has introduced is geared towards the sparkly boat crowd that wear Tour de France jerseys when they fish.  I’m guessing more towards the entry level or shore fisherman who want to have an extra tool in the boat or on the pier that is relatively simple to install and use.

 

I do however stand by my belief that this wireless transducer technology paired with mobile electronics via WiFi backed by a reputable fishing company, is groundbreaking and something that will be tweaked and expanded for many years to come

[CaptainMusky]

 

I don’t think these specific items that Vexilar has introduced is geared towards the sparkly boat crowd that wear Tour de France jerseys when they fish. 

I chuckled when I read this, but I think you are dead on.